Bears Best Jr. Shootout Nov. 21-22

On November 21st and 22nd 2015, the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour traveled to beautiful Suwanee, Georgia to host the Bears Junior Shootout at Bears Best Atlanta. The course was in good shape, playing conditions were great, and it was also a great challenge for the long weekend of golf. Both Saturday, and Sunday, the golfers had to deal with frigid conditions and intermediate winds. Winners in all five-age divisions will receive an automatic bid to the Tour Championship on December 5th and 6th, 2015. The weekend was unbeatable all around, and the top ten finishers also received points towards end year honors, which include state teams, all HJGT teams, and the Hurricane Cup.

In the boys 15-18 division, Logan Perkins, from Locust Grove, Georgia took home the first place trophy as he rolled over the competition. Perkins, fighting cold gusting winds relied heavily on his putting which would not let him down. Perkins would finish the tournament at even par 144, carding maybe the most impressive round of the weekend on Saturday which saw him make seven birdies including four in a row on his way to a two under 70. Sunday saw a drop in temperature and as the weather dropped the scores rose. Logan came into day two with a three stoke lead and again, battling frigid winds and decreasing temperature, was able to post a great round. Perkins posted a second round 74, including three birdies, which was good enough to see him earn a comfortable four stoke victory. Two boys occupied the second place position this week. Tommy Su from Johns Creek, Georgia was one of the two boys to finish tied for second. Su was very consistent this weekend finishing both the Saturday and Sunday rounds with a two over 74 to finish the tournament with a four over 148 finishing four strokes off the lead. Su played great golf this weekend in what was less than ideal weather conditions. The second of our two second place finishers was Ryoto Furuya from Alpharetta, Georgia just like his co second place finisher shot consecutive 74’s to finish at a four over 148. Ryoto played some exceptional golf showing resiliency on Sunday following up almost every bogey with a birdie and even carded a rare eagle on a tough course. Both second place finishers turned heads this weekend and will be names to watch moving forward in future events. Our third place finisher this weekend was Carl Bertrand from Maidieres, France. Carl traveled a long way and did not disappoint with his play carding and impressive round of 75 on Saturday which included two birdies. The drop in temperature seemed to not phase Carl as he carded an even more impressive round of 74 on Sunday finishing the tournament at a five over 149 just one stroke off of second place and five strokes behind the leaders. Overall the boys 15-18 division was very competitive this weekend, and all of our top finishers played impressive golf.

In the boys 13-14 division, Charles Larcelet finished the tournament in the top spot. Hailing from Geraudot, France, Larcelet came out firing on Saturday dropping three birdies on his way to a solid round of 76 good enough for second place heading into the final round. Sunday the temperature dropped dramatically, but that didn’t stop Larcelet in fact, like his fellow Frenchman Carl Bertrand, he seemed to thrive in the dropping temperatures carding what was arguably the most impressive round of the weekend when he shot a one under 71 which included four birdies. Sunday’s impressive surge saw Larselet cruise to an impressive five stroke victory over a very tough field. While Larselet was able to win comfortably Jackson Cross from Sugar Hill, Georgia had no such luxery barely edging out Brandon Cho from Suwanee, Georgia for second. Cross had a share of the lead heading into Sunday’s round when he carded an impressive three over 75 on Saturday, but with tough Sunday conditions and an incredible surge by Larselet, Jackson saw the lead slip through his fingers on Sunday. Jackson was able to hold off fellow competitor Brandon Cho finishing Sunday with a solid round of five over 77 giving him a two day total of 152. Jackson played some strong golf this weekend in tough conditions and has a very bright future going forward. Brandon Cho, our third place finisher, also held a share of the lead going into Sunday after shooting a three over 75 on Saturday which included two birdies, but he to, also gave way to the surging Larselet. Despite falling just short of second place Brandon played some spectacular golf this weekend finishing third place in what was a very competitive boys 13-14 age group.

The boys 11-12 division winner, Logan Zurn from Elkhorn, Wisconsin, played some incredible golf this weekend. Zurn led the pack after posting a very good round of seven over 79 which saw him roll in two birdies on the day. Zurn, seemingly unsatisfied and undeterred by the cooling temperatures on Sunday, posted an even better round of six over 78 letting him cruise to an eight stroke victory over our second place finisher Connor Macmillan. The Canton, Georgia native played solid golf this weekend posting an opening round 10 over 82, just three strokes off the lead after the first day. However, Connor was unable to keep pace with the white hot Zurn posting an 11 over 83 on Sunday to take second place 14 strokes. While Macmillan was not able to come out on top he showed that he has the potential to be a special talent moving forward. Our third place finisher was Tejas Reddy who finished Saturday in third place after posting a 19 over 91 and finished strong shooting a 17 over 89 on Sunday giving him a two day total of 180. All of our competitors in this event played exceptional golf, and each of them have a bright future.

In the girls 15-18 division Asheville, North Carolina native Rachel Kuehn took home the first place trophy with two really impressive rounds. Saturday Rachel set the foundation for what would be a very good two day total when she carded a solid four over 76 which would see her roll in two birdies including one on the treacherous par 3 sixth. Not satisfied, and still one stroke behind the leaders heading into Sunday, Kuehn set the tone on Sunday with a birdie on her first hole which paved the way to an impressive two over 74 in the frigid, gusting wind. Kuehn finished the tournament at a solid six over 150 good enough for a two stroke victory. Finishing a close second was Kate Owens from Suwanee, Georgia. Owens was one of three people tied for the lead after Saturday, but was unable to hold the lead and gave way to the solid play of Rachel Kuehn. Despite that Owens played solid golf which included a round of three over 75 on Saturday with two birdies, and a round of five over 77 on Sunday, to take second place by four strokes over our third place finishers, Christine McDonnell and Keagan Dunn, who also played some spectacular golf. McDonnell and Dunn came into Sunday just one shot back off the lead after each carding a four over 76 on Saturday, but unlike Kuehn they were not able to put together a run on Sunday each finishing with an eight over 80. Each of our top finishers played some extraordinary golf this weekend in one of the most competitive fields of the year, each of these girls showed that they have a very bright future ahead of them in golf.

Jack Nicklaus once said “Resolve never to give up, no matter what the situation,” the winner of the girls 11-14 division this weekend, Thienna Huynh, did just that. The Lilburn, Georgia native shot an 18 over 90 on Saturday leaving her in the middle of the pack heading into Sunday and seven shots off the lead. However, Thienna did not give up, and after shooting a solid nine over 81 on Sunday which included a single birdie she found herself hoisting the first place trophy after edging out our second place finisher Grace Jones. Huynh showed incredible resolve by erasing a seven stroke deficit in a single round proving that she has what it takes to compete with anyone. Grace Jones from Hayesville, North Carolina also found herself in the middle of the pack after carding a 16 over 88 on Saturday and like Thienna posted an impressive round on Sunday to climb the leaderboard. Finishing with a solid round of 13 over 85 on Sunday which would see her roll in one birdie, Jones was able to scale the leaderboard stopping just short of catching the surging Huynh finishing two shots short of the lead. Grace played some fantastic golf down the stretch and proved that she has a bright future ahead. Our third place finisher for this weekend was Duluth native Sara Im. Im set the pace of the tournament on Saturday when she carded a 12 over 84 which left her a single stroke in the lead heading into Sunday. The final round would prove to be a challenge for Sara; however, as she gave way to the red hot Huynh, and Jones after carding a 18 over 90 on Sunday. Despite letting the lead slip Sara played some outstanding golf this weekend in one of the most competitive fields of the year. Each of our top finishers showed they have bright futures ahead in the game of golf.
Weather:
Saturday: Mid 50’s, Cloudy, Wind 10-15 MPH
Sunday: Mid 40’s, Sunny, Wind 10-15 MPH
Tournament Yardages:
Boys 15-18 – 6,668 YDS
Girls 15-18/Boys 11-12 – 5,612 YDS
Boys 13-14 – 6,136 YDS
Girls 11-14 – 5,055 YDS
The Hurricane Junior Golf Tour (HJGT) was founded in 2008 with the intent of providing junior golfers between the ages of 11-18 an opportunity to play exceptional courses in a competitive environment. Golfers who participate on the tour will compete in one of five age divisions: Boys 15-18, Boys 13-14, Boys 11-12, Girls 15-18, and Girls 11-14. Based out of Jacksonville, FL, the HJGT administers events all across the nation, with stops in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Virginia, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Louisiana, Connecticut and Massachusetts.
For more information regarding the 2015 HJGT Tour, please visit our website at www.hjgt.org, call the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour headquarters at (904) 379-2697, or email info@hjgt.org
Dusty Pittman
Hurricane Junior Golf Tour 2015
Experience #TheHurricaneDifference